By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA:
The first batch of Afghan refugees will arrive in the country today and stay at Entebbe, Parrots UG understands.
According to the minister of Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees, Eng Hilary Onek has revealed that 140 Afghan refugees comprising mostly women and children will arrive in the country on Sunday and stay in Entebbe.
He said the group will first be subjected to Covid 19 testing and allocated luxurious hotel rooms noting that they will not be treated as refugees since the US has full responsibility over them.
Onek ruled out the refugees permanently staying in Uganda. He said Uganda will only act as a transit point for the refugees destined for other countries.
Earlier this week, government agreed to host at least 2,000 refugees fleeing Afghanistan following the collapse of President Ashraf Ghani’s government.
The first batch was expected on Wednesday this week but Foreign Affairs Minister Gen Jeje Odongo disclosed that the relevant authorities were still scrutinizing the kind of people the country is about to host.
